The wines from Pago de Valdetruchas are sourced from vineyards which are owned by a cousin and uncle of Alejandro Luna (owner of Luna Beberide winery). The 2008 vintage was the first vintage where they bottled their own wines.

The grapes come from hand harvested vineyards with an average age of 40 years. The vineyards are composed of calcerous clay soils with some stones and are between 650 and 700 meters above sea level. Fermented in stainless steel vats and bottled unfiltered.

The 2009 La Muria is 100% Mencia sourced from vines with an average age of 40 years, fermented and aged in stainless steel and bottled without filtration. Fragrant spices and black raspberry aromas inform the nose of a concentrated, intense, crowd-pleasing wine that is an excellent value meant for drinking over the next 4 years.Issue 195, June 2011

Wine & Spirits Magazine

92

Alejandro Luna started this project in 2008, focusing on pure mencías from his family’s vineyards. This parcel of 75-year-old vines delivers honest fruit, direct and simple, like the juice of fresh cherries in the height of summer. It’s delicious and energetic, with the structure to match charcuterie.100 Best Buys of 2011
Best Buy
Issue 3006, October 2011

Wine Review Online

88

With pure fruit that packs a lot of flavor onto a relatively modest frame, this wine is reminiscent of a fine young vintage of, say, Chinon or Saint-Joseph in general stylistic profile. However, its specific characteristics--fresh, bright cherry and berry fruit with both red and black notes--speak quite specifically of Mencia from Bierzo, which is usually marked by distinctively zesty acidity and fine-grained tannin that makes the wines in this younger, lighter style delightful to sip on their own but also marvelously versatile with food.Issue April 26, 2011

Wine Spectator

89

Plum, floral and smoke notes mingle in this plump red, which has modest tannins, but also fresh acidity that gives this focus. Balanced, clean and refreshing. Drink now through 2015.Issue 3610, November 15, 2011
Daily Wine Pick, November 5, 2011